“Impossible! Crazy!” they say or just laugh at you. “Who do you think you are?” chimes in your inner critiс.

Breakthroughs, masterpieces, innovations are usually done in a series of small steps over a long period of time. It always seems impossible until it’s done.

Even if you take into account that you’ll need more time, it will take you much longer. Countless unexpected things and your dear psyche will slow down your progress leading you to freaking out, burning out, or giving up too soon.

Here’s the out of the box solution: switch from non-stop rhythm of industrial system (12 months by 4 quarters) to the spiral rhythm of the Rounds Calendar (12 months by 3 rounds).

The Rounds Calendar is a shift in time perspective. Built-in periods of downtime for rest and reflection every four months empowers you to stick to your vision all the way through.

A Round is a 101 day period of work that begins three times per year on a fixed date. 15 weeks long or a little more than three months. That’s a time-bound frame for envisioning realistic horizons, setting clear desired outcomes and going all in. This period of focused work is followed by a break time that requires you to stop, relax and reflect on the progress.

“Go all in, chill out, go all in, chill out” rhythm helps over-achievers who are in the “go hard, collapse, recover, go hard” loop. The rhythm of rounds and downtime makes you learn to stop working when you don’t feel exhausted yet. As a result, you end up using the yearly energy more efficiently overall.

Each round begins exactly four months apart, three times per year. It's up to you when your first round starts. You can choose a day that feels significant to you, like your birthday, an anniversary, or a day that falls on a favorite number. Stay focused on your work for the next 101 days. When that time is up, take a break to relax and re-calibrate. Take note of what went well during the round, and what you want to accomplish and do differently in the next one.

Visualizing your life as a sail instead of climbing a mountain seems more relevant because life is an ongoing journey that’s happening right now.

Ebbs and flows, it's not always sunny. You have to learn to move forward despite the lousy weather and high waves.It makes sense to stay in the harbor from time to time, right? That’s why alternation of rounds and break time is better for independent original thinkers who are driven by intrinsic motivation, and prone to overplanning and hard working.

Cogs in the system are interchangeable. Capitalism implies to exploit everyone to their full capacity, and change them when they’re done… You’re not a factory worker, slave or AI. You need time, space and energy to realize your full potential, to do what only you can do.